I. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a device for detecting solid impurities within a pressurized fluid and, more particularly, to such a device which utilizes a filter element and means for measuring an increase in fluid pressure caused by the filter element when clogged.
II. Description of the Prior Art
In internal combustion engines, and particularly turbocharged diesel engines, dust ingestion by the engine has proven to be a very acute problem. Dust ingestion by the engine not only adversely affects the performance of the engine, but also abrades and damages the engine components, most notably the engine pistons, valves, piston rings, and cylinders. Engine damage resulting from dust ingestion, of course, is not only expensive to repair and results in downtime for the engine, but also in the case of military vehicles, an inoperable engine caused by dust ingestion may result in capture of the military vehicle.
In order to prevent, or at least minimize, dust ingestion by the engine, a number of previously known means have been devised to separate dust and other solid particles from the airflow inducted into the engine. For example, filtering systems utilizing filter media are conventionally disposed at the air intake for the engine to separate dust particles from the inducted engine air. A still further type of filtering system for removing dust particles from the inducted air is described in copending application Ser. No. 736,167, Filed on Oct. 27, 1976, and which is commonly owned with the instant application. In any event, all of these previously known systems in one fashion or another remove or separate the dust particles from the air inducted into the engine.
These previously known air filtering systems, however, are prone to failure which subsequently results in the induction of dust particles into the internal combustion engine. For example, filter media often becomes clogged with dust which decreases the efficiency of the filter media which permits dust particles to pass therethrough. At other times the filter media becomes torn or damaged which, likewise, results in dust ingestion by the engine. In either event, the filter media must, at the very least, be cleaned and/or replaced if necessary.
The previously known internal combustion engines, however, have not included means for detecting the failure of the engine filtering system, but rather have relied upon periodic maintenance to inspect the filters. Such periodic maintenance checks, however, often are performed subsequent to the failure of the engine filtering system. Consequently, the engine ingests dust between the time of the failure and the time of the maintenance check. Such dust ingestion, of course, damages the engine in the previously described fashion.